Cade
Ellie Darling might not be a hit man, but she was still trying to kill me.
Or maybe Nate was by putting her in that damn dress.
It hugged Ellie’s curves like it’d been custom made just for her, while the backless design felt personally targeted toward me.
And suddenly I had trouble focusing on anything else.
Hiring Ellie was supposed to be safe. Strictly business. Where was the temptation in a woman who dressed up in unicorn onesies and cuddled for a living?
It didn’t help that Lovejoy had turned the main deck into a romantic wonderland. Fairy lights were strung up above us, featherlight piano notes played from unseen speakers, and those godforsaken rose petals made a return—sprinkled along the deck and maroon tablecloths. She’d set up private tables for each couple, and now Ellie was sitting across from me at a tiny candlelit table with the sun setting in front of us.
I’d thought it would be an uncomfortable few hours to get through, but Ellie immediately broke the ice by talking about her little hellion. She rambled on about Whiskey’s resilience duringhis surgeries and how much he was going to love cat yoga at his fancy new daycare.
It felt natural to sit across from her and listen to her yap.
Easy.
“Oh wow.” Ellie stopped babbling about her cat long enough to look out at the horizon, and her lips parted in awe. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so mesmerizing.”
I swirled my scotch around in its glass, then downed the double shot just to stop my big mouth from telling her the sunset didn’t hold a candle to her damn dress.
“Eat,” I said instead, nodding toward the filet she hadn’t touched.
Ellie glanced down at her full plate. “Oh. I shouldn’t.”
“Shouldn’t?” My brows rose. “It’s dinner, and you haven’t taken a single bite.”
Maybe she’d filled up on those chocolate croissants earlier.
Ellie fiddled with the neckline of her dress, while avoiding looking at me. “It’s just… Well, this dress is by far the nicest thing I’ve ever worn in my life. And it’s a loan, so I don’t want to risk spilling anything on it.”
I squinted, not seeing the problem. “Then keep it.”
Her brow furrowed. “Keep what?”
“The dress. It’s yours.”
She went completely still, except for the widening of her eyes. “You can’t be serious.”
“Fiancés get each other gifts all the time. Consider it part of the façade. If you’re still worried about ruining it, then I’ll just buy you another one.” I nodded toward her untouched food. “Now eat.”
Ellie’s mouth opened and closed. She swallowed. “I…Um, wow. Thank you.”
She carefully skewered a piece of broccolini but hesitated, fork in the air. “Dr. Lovejoy said we’re supposed to compliment each other with each bite tonight.”
I glanced at the tables around us, none of them paying any attention to us. The other couples were all in their own worlds, leaning close together and whispering. Lovejoy was even having a romantic dinner of her own with a certain love guru, and she giggled like a schoolgirl at whatever Reyes said with his sleazy grin. “She won’t know we aren’t doing it.”
Ellie considered that, then shrugged and took a bite. Then another. We ate in a comfortable silence, and she didn’t spill a single drop on her dress.
Once our plates were cleared, Lovejoy sashayed over in her long teal bohemian dress.
“I come bearing dessert,” she announced, presenting a small platter of chocolate-covered strawberries that made Ellie perk up. Lovejoy’s lips curved in a small coy smile. “And if you don’t mind, I’d love to check in on our little activity. Maybe listen in to a compliment or two. Go ahead, Ellie. Feed a strawberry and a compliment to your partner.”
“Oh, okay.” Ellie wet her lips, practically salivating at the sight as she carefully selected a larger strawberry.
She cleared her throat before meeting my gaze.